Teamwork

Chapter 28 - Training

Sara knew what Slade had planned for her from the moment they released her from her chains. She had seen an opportunity present itself, however briefly, which is why she had attacked the guards. She knew that she didn't really have any hope of beating them, but she had accomplished what she had set out to do. 

"Slade." Oliver growled and Sara could hear threat in his tone and winced slightly, afraid that Slade's reaction would be to hurt Oliver further.

"What Oliver? Are you going to offer to take her place? Are you going to ask me to let her go? Well neither of those things is going to happen. It is just as much her fault as yours that Shado is no longer here." Sara felt Slade's unforgiving grip on her neck again as he continued to taunt Oliver. "You remember what happened to her when the Amazo went down? I'm sure it's not much different from what happened when the Gambit sank. I'm sure you still dream about how the ship was ripped in two, how the water swirled into the hull where we fought, how she was dragged out into the cold Ocean. She could have drowned, because of you. I wonder if she is afraid of drowning."

Now she was standing, bent over a full tub of water, with Slade's hand around her neck. She took a brief moment, as Slade finished talking, to get her breathing under control and gather her thoughts, to ground herself and focus on the task at hand. It was time to draw on all those hours of training with Nyssa and prove that she had overcome her paralyzing fear of drowning.

As Slade pushed her head under water she calmly remembered when the Gambit went down and how she had felt so helpless, terrified, and how it was a miracle that she had survived. After a surprising short amount of time Slade pulled her head up again. She took that opportunity to fill her lungs with oxygen and to look at Oliver. The brief moment that their eyes met she tried to assure him that she would be fine. After a moment Slade dunked her head under again, holding it there longer the second time.

"How long can a Canary live under water?" Slade asked as he held Sara's head underwater for the second time. He would continue to increase the time that he held her under until she, or Oliver, finally broke.

"Slade stop!" Oliver pleaded. He knew that Sara had to be afraid of drowning, especially after the Gambit and the Amazo. He didn't know if he would survive watching her drown again.

As Sara was being held underwater the second time she thought back to when she had been sucked out of the Amazo. It had happened just like it had with the Gambit. The hull of the ship had split open, the cold ocean water swirling in, sucking her into the depths of the water. She had almost drowned for the second time that night. She would have drowned, if Nyssa hadn't found her and rescued her. It was thoughts of that woman that helped her remain in control.

Felicity watched, tears in her eyes and streaming down her face, as Sara was pulled out of the water for the second time. She was beyond pleading with Slade because she knew that her words would fall on deaf ears. Slade was on a mission and nothing short of a miracle would get them out of this now. She turned her gaze to Oliver who looked like he was trapped between the past and the present. She knew that watching Slade attempt to drown Sara would have brought back all the memories that he had tried to bury. Hang in there Oliver. She thought as she noticed Slade pushing Sara down for the third time.

"Sara!" Lance had cried the first time he saw his youngest daughter being forced under the water. He knew that she had been through a lot when the Gambit went down but he was surprised to learn that she had been on a sinking boat not once but twice, and almost drowned the second time as well. He knew that if it were him he would be terrified of water. He watched, shocked, as Sara endured the torture with shocking calmness.

"I spent months teaching her how to overcome that fear." Said a voice by the stairs.

Everyone in the lair turned suddenly at the voice.